Reports said that the president was in the city the night of the explosion.
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At least 30 people have been hospitalized. Among those who were killed instantly by the blast was a 12-year old child.
As regards this appointment, the head of state made sure that he will not admit sermons on the part of the US President, Barack Obama, on human rights, when they meet. According to the Philippine authorities the Islamic extremist militia Abu Sayyaf, active in the south of the country, is to blame for the attack although at first the suspects had focused on drug traffickers.
Senior Supt Dubria said police were also looking at the possibility that the blast could have been the work of “lawless armed groups or illegal drug syndicates”.
He said AFP chief-of-staff Gen. Ricardo Visaya has placed the entire AFP on red alert, directing all area commanders to coordinate with their counterparts at the PNP.
“With what happened ay it is apparent that terrorism and terrorist acts will happen and they happen during the most unsuspecting times”.
Last week, the Abu Sayyaf militants beheaded a villager who was kidnapped by them, after which the ongoing military offensive against the group was intensified.
Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the bomb appeared to have been made from a mortar round and doctors reported numerous victims had shrapnel wounds.
Davao is the most populous city in the southern Philippines, with its two million inhabitants.
“President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a proclamation declaring a ‘State of National Emergency on Account of Lawless Violence”, Palace officials have confirmed Monday.
“We were having a meeting and we heard a very huge explosion”, said John Rhyl Sialmo III, 20, a student at the nearby Ateneo de Davao University.
Refusing to level the blame exclusively at the feet of the Islamic militants may result in an expansion in the wave of extrajudicial killings by the Duterte regime of alleged drug cartel members – an effort that has led to widespread worldwide condemnation.
Duterte was elected by a landslide in May after vowing to end crime in six months by killing tens of thousands of criminals.
At the time of the blast, the president was in the town about 7.5 miles from the location of the attack.
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Although President Duterte takes office in Manila, he spends his weekends in Davao, his hometown.
